Sandy Alomar Jr.

After parting ways with Jeff Banister late in the season, the Rangers are working to decide who’ll lead their dugout in 2019. GM Jon Daniels and company originally looked at a broad slate of possibilities, including late-season interim skipper Don Wakamatsu, but have now opened the search up to additional potential candidates.

We’re tracking developments in the hiring process in this post. The latest:

Latest Updates

Both Twins bench coach Derek Shelton and Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward have emerged as “strong” candidates in the Rangers’ managerial search, per Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link). Rosenthal notes that Woodward, who interviewed earlier today, was “extremely” impressive in his interview.

Click below to review the prior updates to the search and additional remaining candidates …

The Rangers are still working to bring in additional candidates for chats, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has covered of late. D-Backs VP of player development Mike Bell — the brother of prior candidate David Bell, who’s now the Reds manager — is said to be getting a look. Additionally, the Texas organization is believed to be scheduling a chat with Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodwardand perhaps also Red Sox bench coach Ron Roenicke, both of whom just finished up duties in the World Series.

Though there are already a number of candidates considered to be finalists, as noted below, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that the Rangers are holding a first meeting with Eric Chavez. The former All-Star third baseman began the year as a special assistant to Angels GM Billy Eppler and finished out the year as the Halos’ Triple-A manager. He was considered to be a prime candidate to take over the Angels’ managerial post, but they’ve since named Brad Ausmus their skipper. Now, it seems that Chavez could at least potentially jump ship to a division rival.

Wilson reports that the Rangers have also interviewed Cardinals’ Triple-A skipper Stubby Clapp over the phone multiple times. But Clapp was just named first base coach on the St. Louis MLB staff, which appears to indicate that he is going to remain with that organization.

Still Under Consideration (as of Oct. 21)

With Girardi and Bell out of the picture, Sullivan noted earlier Sunday that Wakamatsu, Tingler, Hyde, Wathan, Espada and Baldelli are the only known candidates left. Those are indeed the finalists from among the original slate of candidates, per the Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson. As of the date of this report, the club had not even had a face-to-face meeting with Espada yet.

Brandon Hyde, bench coach, Cubs. Recently became one of the earliest outside candidates to interview, per Grant.

Joe Espada, bench coach, Astros. Interviewed via phone due to current duties, per Grant. First identified by Wilson as a candidate, Espada is in his first year as bench coach after taking over the post from current Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Rocco Baldelli, field coordinator, Rays: Health problems derailed his promising major league career, but Baldelli has carved out a new path in the game. The 37-year-old has been on the Tampa Bay MLB coaching staff since 2014. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweeted that Baldelli had interviewed; he was originally tied to the Rangers by Grant.

Dusty Wathan, third base coach, Phillies: He’ll sit down with the Texas brass, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Wathan, a former Triple-A manager, was considered a leading candidate for the Phillies’ managerial post last winter and ended up joining the staff of Gabe Kapler.

Other Candidates

Sandy Alomar Jr., first base coach, Indians: The long-time MLB backstop, who has come up frequently in past managerial searches, is also expected to get a look, according to Wilson.

Grant lists Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and Padres Triple-A manager (and former Rangers catcher) Rod Barajas as other possible candidates. The Rangers “have done significant due diligence” on each of Alomar, Espada, Woodward, Barajas and DeRosa, per Grant, though it’s not yet clear which of that bunch will sit down with the organization for a formal interview.

Having started with around forty potential candidates, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan, the Texas organization evidently still has some paring to do. He names a host of other new possibilities, though it’s unclear whether any are going to receive an opportunity to interview. Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley is a possibility, as others have mentioned previously, as is Triple-A skipper Jason Wood. Other names of note include Omar Vizquel (White Sox minor-league manager), who is said to have “received initial consideration,” along with Gary DiSarcina (Mets third base coach), Jay Bell (Yankees minor-league manager), and Hensley Meulens (Giants bench coach).

Prior indications are that long-time Rangers second bagger Michael Young would be a strong candidate if he had interest in the position. To this point, though, there’s no indication that he does. As noted in that link and in another recent MLBTR post, a whole host of other names have been floated as possibilities. To this point, though, only those listed above have emerged as clear candidates. (And for those who are wondering, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote in a recent Rangers Inbox column that Adrian Beltre “has expressed zero interest in managing.”)

Not Under Consideration

Former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi has been informed that he’s no longer in the running, as reported by Wilson as well as Fancred’s Jon Heyman.

The Rangers had interest in former big leaguer and current MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, per Grant, but MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that DeRosa is enjoying his current position and has declined the opportunity to interview (Twitter link).

Former Giants VP of player development David Bell interviewed for the position, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, but he’s since been named the new manager of the Reds, with whom he signed a three-year contract.

Since announcing the departure of manager John Gibbons, the Blue Jays have begun their search for a new skipper as they look to return to contention for the first time since back-to-back playoff appearances in 2015 and 2016. The search is now well underway, with the Jays narrowing a broad list of candidates to a smaller group that warrants closer consideration.

As of Oct. 18, the Blue Jays were “believed to be down to five candidates,” per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. He cited Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Rays field coordinator Rocco Baldelli, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde and Giants director of player development David Bell as finalists, though Bell’s name is obviously no longer in play since he’s been hired by the Reds as their new manager. Here’s where things presently stand…

Latest Update – October 23

Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo interviewed with the Jays today, per Fancred’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). It’s not clear if it was a second interview and Montoyo had already emerged as one of the reported finalists or if the Jays set up additional interviews after the Reds hired Bell (a reported Jays finalist) away. That brings the Blue Jays to 15 or more candidates interviewed for the managerial vacancy.

Ed Sprague, coordinator of instruction, Athletics: The former Blue Jays third baseman interviewed for the position, reports Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network (Twitter link). Sprague hasn’t managed at the big league level, and it’s not clear if he’s seen as a finalist or was merely one of many first-round interviews.

Sandy Alomar Jr., first base coach, Indians: Over the years, Alomar has often been cited as a possible skipper but has yet to be given the opportunity to run a dugout.

Joe Girardi, former Yankees and Marlins manager: Girardi spent the 2018 season as an MLB Network analyst after wrapping up his tenure in New York.

Mike Matheny, former Cardinals manager: Matheny was cut loose during the 2018 season, his seventh year in that role.

Eduardo Perez, broadcaster/analyst: In addition to his TV and radio duties, the former MLB corner infielder/outfielder has worked as a hitting coach, bench coach, and winter league manager since wrapping up his playing career.

Joe Espada, bench coach, Astros: Though he’s only in his first season on the Houston staff, he could follow Alex Cora in parlaying his time under skipper A.J. Hinch into a managerial job of his own.

Rocco Baldelli, field coordinator, Rays: The 37-year-old has been on the Tampa Bay MLB coaching staff for the past four years. He’s also drawing wide interest in this hiring round.

Rob Thompson, bench coach, Phillies: The veteran MLB coach just wrapped up his first season as the bench coach in Philadelphia after a ten-year run on the Yankees’ coaching staff.

John McDonald, defensive coordinator, player development field staff, Indians: The long-time MLB defensive stalwart has worked in the Cleveland player development department for the past several seasons. He’s short on directly relevant experience, but is a widely respected player with ties to the Toronto org.

Stubby Clapp, Triple-A manager, Cardinals: Though he only briefly touched the majors as a player and hasn’t made it back as a coach, Clapp has drawn attention for his success with the Cards’ top affiliate.

DeMarlo Hale, bench coach, Blue Jays: The long-time minor-league manager and MLB coach has previously featured as a top candidate for the Jays managerial job.

Bobby Meacham, Triple-A manager, Blue Jays: The long-time minor-league skipper and MLB coach has been with the Jays organization since 2013.

John Schneider, Double-A manager, Blue Jays: Schneider, 38, has worked his way up the coaching/managerial ladder in the Toronto farm system since his playing career was cut short.

Brandon Hyde, bench coach, Cubs: A candidate who has received consideration from multiple other teams, Hyde has logged five campaigns apiece as a minor-league skipper and MLB coach. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted that he’s a candidate.

Potential Candidates

Previous names linked to the opening by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal include former Cleveland skipper Eric Wedge and MLB Network analyst Dave Valle (twitterlinks). It is not certain at this time whether they have received real consideration during the search process.

Not Under Consideration

Sam Fuld has also impressed the Toronto front office, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). But the former big league outfielder, who has been with the Phillies as “Major League player information coordinator” for one year, does not seem to be in the competition for the Jays job. Per Jerry Crasnick, via Twitter, Fuld has withdrawn from the search.

Though he was previously tabbed as a name under some consideration, Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward is not considered a candidate at this time, per Arash Madani of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter).

David Bell, formerly the VP of player development for the Giants, interviewed for the Jays’ position but was recently hired as the new manager of the Reds.

The Braves were considering parting ways with Brian Snitker at the end of the 2017 season, and the manager revealed to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that he considered quitting out of frustration with then-Braves GM John Coppolella and president of baseball operations John Hart. Snitker reached the point of contacting a clubhouse attendant back in Atlanta to say “Pack my things, I’m not coming back” after Coppolella criticized one of Snitker’s decisions during the Braves’ third-to-last game of the season, an otherwise meaningless matchup against the Marlins. Snitker stuck around long enough, however, to see his situation unexpectedly change, due to Coppolella’s shocking resignation in the wake of a league investigation into international signing violations. With Coppolella and, eventually, Hart both leaving the organization, Snitker formed a good relationship with new Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos and the rest is history, with the Braves winning the NL East. Bowman’s piece is well worth a full read, as it details Snitker’s unlikely path to his first Major League managerial job after spending four decades in the Braves organization as a player, coach, and minor league skipper.

Here’s more on some of the open managerial situations around baseball…

The Angels have interest in Astros bench coach Joe Espada as a managerial candidate, ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera reports. The 43-year-old Espada previously worked as a third base coach for the Marlins and Yankees before taking his current position in Houston last winter, and Espada has also been a coach for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and a manager in the Puerto Rican winter league. Espada has ties to Angels GM Billy Eppler, as both worked together with the Yankees in 2014-15, plus Espada briefly played in the Rockies’ minor league system in 2001 when Eppler was a scout in the Colorado organization.

The Blue Jays are considering Giants VP of player development David Bell and MLB Network analyst Dave Valle as part of their managerial search, as per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitterlinks). As Rosenthal notes, Bell is also a candidate for the Reds’ manager position, and has been mentioned as a potential successor to Bruce Bochy in San Francisco. Before becoming the Giants’ farm director, Bell worked for the Cardinals as a bench coach and assistant hitting coach, the Cubs as a third base coach, and as a manager for the Reds’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Valle would be something of an outside-the-box choice, as his only pro managing or coaching experience was one season managing Seattle’s A-ball affiliate in 2014. Since wrapping up his 13-year playing career in 1996, Valle has been a TV and radio broadcaster for the Mariners, as well as a broadcaster for MLB Network since 2009.

In another tweet, Rosenthal also listed Eric Wedge, John McDonald, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Stubby Clapp as likely candidates for the Blue Jays job. The four names have often been mentioned in connection with the Jays’ search in recent weeks, plus bench coach DeMarlo Hale and Double-A manager John Schneider are also known to be under consideration.

The Orioles officially announced yesterday that Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette wouldn’t be returning to the club in 2019, though the fact that the team waited until after the season to announce the changes “makes absolutely no sense” to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). Both Showalter and Duquette were in the last year of their contracts and there was a clear sense that changes would be made in the wake of Baltimore’s disastrous 115-loss season, so in Olney’s view, “valuable time [was] squandered” by the Orioles. Rather than begin their search for a new manager and GM over the last several weeks or months, the O’s will now be competing for candidates with other teams looking to fill managerial or front office vacancies.

The Mets formally removed Terry Collins from his post as manager earlier this month, shifting him to a front office role and embarking on a search to replace the longest-tenured manager in franchise history. Since that time, they’ve been connected to a flurry of names, some speculatively and others more definitively. Reportedly, the Mets began interviewing candidates earlier this week.

As we’ve done with the Tigers, Phillies, and Red Sox, we’ll house all of the managerial chatter for the Mets in one place and update accordingly as candidates either further their case or are removed from consideration. Here’s where the Mets’ search stands, at present:

Latest Updates

The Mets appear to have wrapped up their first round of interviews, per Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). New York doesn’t have plans to meet with Indians coach Sandy Alomar Jr., though Mike Puma of the New York Post hears Alomar or even other candidates could conceivably still enter the picture.

What is clear at this point is that there’s a slate of five candidates to have completed first-round interviews: Joe McEwing, Kevin Long, Alex Cora, Mickey Callaway, and Manny Acta. As Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes, though, the expectation remains that Cora will end up getting the Red Sox’ job, which would potentially knock the field back to four. There’s no indication as of yet as to which of these candidates will be brought back for a second meeting, though Puma says that process will begin next week.

Will Interview/Have Interviewed

White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing has had his interview, as Mike Puma of the New York Post recently reported (via Twitter). The former big league utilityman has been in the Chicago organization since 2008, working as a minor league coach and manager before being promoted to the big league coaching staff; McEwing served as the bench coach last season after five years as the Sos third base coach.

Mets hitting coach Kevin Long has interviewed for the position, as Mike Puma of the New York Post first reported. Long has minor league managerial experience in addition to 11 seasons as a Major League hitting coach (2007-14 with the Yankees, 2015-17 with the Mets). Long, Puma writes, has earned the trust of the Mets’ front office with his communication skills and grasp of analytics. He’s not currently signed beyond the 2017 season. [Update: Long has had his interview, Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets.]

ESPN’s Marly Rivera reports that Astros bench coach Alex Cora is part of the Mets’ first wave of managerial interviews (Twitter link). Cora has experience managing in winter ball in addition to his current role as Houston’s bench coach and is a coveted managerial candidate; he’s also reportedly set for an interview with the Tigers and has been connected to the Red Sox as well.

The Mets sat down with Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway on Wednesday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Previously, we had learned that the team was “expected to show interest” in Callaway, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted. Callaway is regarded as one of the game’s best in his current role, but he’s beginning to garner managerial interest around the game as well.

New York is also interviewing Manny Acta, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Acta is currently the Mariners’ third base coach — a position he once held with the Mets — and has previously skippered the Nationals and Indians.

Not in the Mix/No Longer in Consideration

While the Mets had “serious interest” in recently dismissed Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, according to Peter Gammons (Twitter link), that was evidently not reciprocal. Ausmus has decided not to pursue the position. Former White Sox skipper Robin Ventura, too, is said not to have much interest in the opportunity. (Ventura tells Puma that he was not specifically rejecting interest from the Mets. Rather, he is “not pursuing any of the [current managerial] openings,” he says.) Likewise, Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren and A’s third base coach Chip Hale aren’t under consideration, per Marc Carig of Newsday. Those potential candidates were among the preliminary names under consideration, as listed by Carig (with FanRag’s Jon Heyman, the New York Post’s MikePuma, and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News also reporting).

One other previously cited possibility, Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., is not presently scheduled to meet with the team as it moves to second-round interviews, Carig tweets. But it’s at least theoretically possible still that he or others could yet be considered, Puma writes.

After back-to-back early postseason exits in the ALDS, the Red Sox decided to part ways with manager John Farrell. There was already speculation before the dismissal that Farrell was on the hot seat, and the rumor mill has only picked up speed now that Boston’s search has officially begun. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will now have his first opportunity to personally hire a manager since joining the Red Sox in the summer of 2015.

As we’ve done with the Tigers, Mets, and Phillies, we’ll begin to house all of the managerial chatter for the Red Sox in one place and update accordingly as candidates either further their case or are removed from consideration. Here’s where Boston’s search stands, at present:

Latest Updates

The club is expected to conduct a second round of interviews before making any offers of employment, per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston (via Twitter). There’s a sense inside the organization, though, that Cora is the front-runner, Drellich further writes. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) hears that both Cora and Ausmus are “at the center of conversations,” with expectations being that it won’t take long to name a new manager.

Will Interview/Have Interviewed

Recently departed Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus has interviewed for the position, as Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reported on Twitter and we covered further in another post.

Astros bench coach Alex Cora is expected to interview with the Sox on Sunday, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe reports. He’s Boston’s top candidate for the job, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (on Twitter). Cora is also expected to interview for the Tigers and Mets openings. Though Cora is still in the midst of his first coaching stint on a big league staff, the 41-year-old has long been considered a promising managerial candidate, previously receiving interviews for openings with the Diamondbacks, Marlins, Nationals and Padres in recent years. Cora enjoyed a 14-year career in the big leagues (including a stint with the Red Sox from 2005-08) before moving on to work as an analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and as a general manager in the Puerto Rican Baseball League.

The Red Sox have requested the Diamondbacks’ permission to interview bench coach Ron Gardenhire, Rosenthal tweets; he’s expected to chat with the team later this week, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The former Twins manager is one of the “final three” candidates for the job, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter)

Preliminary Candidates (Interview Status Unknown)

In addition to Ausmus, Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren, Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens have all been mentioned as likely or speculative candidates by several reporters (including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, NBCSports.com’s Evan Drellich and the Boston Herald’s Chad Jennings). Ausmus may be a particular name to watch, as Dombrowski hired him as Detroit’s manager after the 2013 season and (according to Peter Gammons) Ausmus delivered a very strong performance when interviewing for Boston’s last managerial opening in the 2012-13 offseason.

Not in the Mix/No Longer in Consideration

Current members of the Red Sox coaching staff have been told that they are free to look for jobs outside the organization. When asked if an internal candidate could be hired, Dombrowski said “most likely not, but I’m not going to say for sure not.” This would more or less seem to rule out names like bench coach Gary DiSarcina, hitting coach Chili Davis or third base coach Brian Butterfield, who have all been linked to previous managerial openings in the past.

Dombrowski also expressed a preference for candidates with past managerial or coaching experience on a Major League staff, so longtime Red Sox catcher and current Dombrowski special assistant Jason Varitek doesn’t seem to be in the running.

The Red Sox announced on Thursday that southpaw reliever Robby Scott underwent a “left elbow arthroscopy and debridement” procedure but is expected to be back to full strength by Spring Training 2018. As several have pointed out (including CSN New England’s Evan Drellich, on Twitter), it’s rather confounding that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the media just yesterday that he wasn’t aware of any Sox players that required offseason surgery on the very day on which Scott was undergoing this procedure.

The 28-year-old Scott has emerged as a viable lefty option in the bullpen in the past two seasons with Boston, pitching to a combined 3.24 ERA with a 36-to-15 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings of work. Right-handed batters haven’t had much trouble with Scott (.254/.338/.463), but he’s held lefties to a paltry .141/.227/.295 slash in the big leagues.

A bit more on the Red Sox…

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that former Twins skipper and current Diamondbacks bench coach Ron Gardenhire is among the three favorites to succeed John Farrell as the next manager of the Red Sox. Indeed, Walters calls Gardenhire one of the “final three” for the post — a surprising development just over 24 hours after Farrell was dismissed. Yesterday alone, there were six external candidates linked to the Red Sox’ job, for instance (Gardenhire included), though it’s possible that Dombrowski has been crafting his list of top options for awhile now.

Meanwhile, Peter Gammons of MLB Network and GammonsDaily.com has penned a lengthy and must-read look at Boston’s managerial opening as well as a number of offseason questions they’re facing. Per Gammons, one executive who was on hand for the last time that Brad Ausmus interviewed for Boston’s managerial spot (the 2012-13 offseason) called Ausmus’ interview the best he’d ever seen. Gammons writes that had the Sox not been able to pry Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Ausmus would’ve been the team’s manager years ago. Further in Ausmus’ favor, per Gammons, is that David Price feels that Ausmus is the best manager for whom he’s ever played. Gammons also notes that Alex Cora will be in consideration and that Sandy Alomar Jr. will likely receive an interview as well. Like Ausmus, Alomar has previously interviewed for the Red Sox’ managerial post.

Within that same column, Gammons reports that Blake Swihart’s surgically repaired ankle bothered him as late into the season as Labor Day, which would in part explain a disappointing .190/.246/.292 batting line in 53 games at the Triple-A level this year. Swihart, who received just seven MLB plate appearances in 2017, was once one of baseball’s most untouchable prospects but has seen his star fade in the wake of repeated injuries and defensive concerns behind the dish. Nonetheless, one Red Sox exec tells Gammons that with his ability to play catcher, first base, third base and the corner outfield, “Swihart can be a huge part of this team.”

With Jay Bruce enjoying a big night in Game One of the ALDS, the Indians’ official Twitter account couldn’t resist a pretty pointed tweet at the Yankees, who came up short in their bid to acquire Bruce from the Mets last summer. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post recaps how negotiations between the Mets and Yankees broke down, not only because Cleveland was willing to absorb all of Bruce’s remaining salary, but also because “the Mets didn’t like one bit the idea of Bruce helping the Yankees’ pennant drive” given the inter-Big Apple rivalry. Bruce was a big contributor down the stretch for the Tribe (hitting .248/.331/.477 with seven homers over 169 PA) then went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI in last night’s victory.

More from around the AL Cenral…

In more Mets/Indians news, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that Tribe first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. “has received strong consideration” for an interview about the Mets’ managerial opening. Alomar has been a member of Cleveland’s coaching staff for eight years, serving at first base except for a two-year stint as bench coach in 2012-13 that also included a six-game stint as interim manager at the end of the 2012 season. Alomar has been linked to several managerial jobs over the years and has links to the Mets — he played his last season with the Amazins and spent his first two years as a coach in the Mets organization as a roving catching instructor.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Miguel Sano requires surgery this offseason, 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link) opines, given that the Twins third baseman is “in a lot more pain than many of us realized.” Sano was sidelined on August 19 due to a stress reaction in his left shin, and while he returned for the final three games of the regular season, he didn’t make the roster for Minnesota’s wild card loss to the Yankees.

Kennys Vargas is interested in the idea of playing in Japan or Korea, and Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wonders if the Twins could be more open to trading the first baseman overseas given their glut of first base/DH options. The Twins rejected overtures about Vargas from NPB and the KBO two offseasons ago.

The Royals’ lease at Kaufman Stadium doesn’t expire until 2030, though the club has been in contact with parties exploring the possibility of a new ballpark in downtown Kansas City, Steve Vockrodt of the Kansas City Star reports. According to Kevin Uhlich, the team’s senior vice president of business operations, the talks were merely to “touch base” with the project. “We’re perfectly content where we are, we think it works well. Thirteen years from now, who knows what the situation is going to be? I can’t hold anybody back from doing what they’re doing on their side. We would listen,” Uhlich said. The city is currently funding a study to examine at least four downtown locations for a potential new park. Kauffman Stadium is the sixth-oldest stadium in the majors, though it underwent significant renovations within the last decade.

Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed optimism about negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this month, and players’ association executive director Tony Clark did the same Saturday, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. “I’ve always been a glass half-full guy. We continue to work. We continue to go through the issues,” said Clark, who didn’t reveal if the draft-pick compensation attached to the qualifying offer will remain the same in the next CBA. In the current agreement that’s set to expire in December, a team receives a first-round pick if it issues a QO to an impending free agent and he then signs elsewhere.

More from Heyman:

The Orioles are still mulling whether to qualify catcher Matt Wieters, relays Heyman, who notes that the next CBA could affect their decision. Baltimore tendered a QO last year to Wieters, who accepted it and remained with the team on a $15.8MM salary. Wieters then had arguably the worst season of his career, hitting .243/.302/.409 in 464 plate appearances and gradingpoorly as a defender. In the event the Orioles qualify Wieters again and he accepts, he’ll be on their books for $17.2MM in 2017 – his age-31 season.

The Rangers are interested in re-signing outfielder Carlos Gomez, reports Heyman. It’s already known that team president and GM Jon Daniels is prioritizing center field, so bringing back Gomez wouldn’t be surprising. The Astros released Gomez in August after a dismal showing dating back to 2015, but he was resurgent down the stretch for a Rangers club that plucked him off the scrapheap. Serving as primarily a corner outfielder while Ian Desmond manned center, Gomez hit .284/.362/.543 with eight home runs in 130 PAs to rebuild some of his stock before free agency. Desmond is also slated to hit the open market, and Daniels observed that he and Gomez “have kind of a similar profile.”

Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders is another qualifying offer candidate, but it could be “tough” for the team to issue him one, Heyman opines. General manager Ross Atkins said earlier this week the Jays were “still working” on what to do with Saunders, whose 2016 was a tale of two halves. Saunders, 30 in November, slashed .298/.372/.551 in 305 PAs before the All-Star break and posted an ugly second-half line of .178/.282/.357 in 185 trips to the plate.

Former Astros skipper and current Braves special assistant Bo Porter is receiving at least some consideration for the Rockies’ open managerial position, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. The report identifies a number of other possibilities on a growing list of names who appear to be on Colorado’s radar.

Another former Astros’ manager, current Indians bench coach Brad Mills, has also come up. His Cleveland staff mate, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., is another name to watch. Obviously, neither of those possible candidates can be pursued in earnest at present, with the Indians just opening play in the ALCS.

Two other bench coaches who could draw interest from the Rockies are Dave Martinez of the Cubs, who also is busy with his current position, and Ron Wotus of the Giants. We heard earlier today that Wotus had received contact from a team with a managerial opening. Given that the Diamondbacks — the other team with an opening — haven’t yet resolved their front office situation, it seems reasonable to suspect that it was the Rockies who came calling.

Today’s report significantly expands the group of names tied in some way to the Rockies’ top dugout post. Last we checked in, the scuttlebutt was that former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke (most recently of the Angels), former Padres manager Bud Black (ditto), Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, Braves first base coach Eddie Perez, and Rockies Triple-A skipper Glenallen Hill had some form of connection to the gig — though in some cases, the reporting involved interest on their behalf rather than the team’s.

All told, that slate largely represents a “who’s who” of skippers-to-be around the game. Those that haven’t yet taken managerial jobs at the major league level have at least interviewed for jobs with other organizations.

Still, the Rockies aren’t just looking to plug in an experienced hand. According to Harding, Colorado hopes to find someone “who will apply statistics and other research into managing and coaching, and who are adept at various methods for creating team chemistry.” In that regard, certainly, the organization seems to be participating in a near-universal trend leaguewide.